# Automatic release - Preorderline 1.x documentation

> Release pre-orders on their own once their release date has passed.

> [!NOTE]
> This is part of **Preorderline Pro**.

With Preorderline alone, you release pre-orders by hand. Preorderline Pro can release them for you when their release date passes.

## Switch it on or off

Go to **WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Pre-orders** and tick **Release pre-orders automatically once their release date has passed**. It's on by default.

## How it works

Every hour, Preorderline Pro looks for products and variations whose release date and time have passed, and releases them exactly as **Release now** would: paid orders move to Processing with the "on its way" email, orders paid on release get their payment link (or their saved card is charged), and deposit orders get their balance. A launch product then sells normally.

So a pre-order dated March 3 at 09:00 is released between 09:00 and 10:00 that day. The checks run with WooCommerce's scheduler (Action Scheduler), which needs visits to your site or a server cron to run on time; you can see them under **WooCommerce → Status → Scheduled Actions**, as `preorderline_auto_release`.

## What's released

- Products with a release date in the past, in the **Not released yet** or **When out of stock** mode.
- Variations with their own date or mode, on their own date (or their product's).
- A **When out of stock** product only when orders are waiting for it.

Products without a release date are never released automatically.

## Releasing early or late

You can still release by hand at any time. To hold a release, move the release date: customers waiting are told the new date. To stop automatic releases altogether, untick the setting.

> [!NOTE]
> While Preorderline Pro is deactivated, nothing is released automatically. Activating it again picks up any dates that passed in between.

Source: https://extendiment.com/plugins/preorderline/docs/1.x/automatic-release